Electric reflecting heater



Dec. 16, 1930. w. w. HICKS 1,785,413

ELECTRIC REFLECTI NG HEATER Filed June 23, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet i i .1 if

A TTORNE Y INVENTOR Dec. 16, 1930. w. w. HICKS 1,785,413

ELECTRIC REFLEGTING HEATER Filed June 25, 1927 2 Sheets-{Sheet 2 I 11v VENTOR l ll/mm Wei/e flicks 14 TTOR/VEY Patented Dec. 16,-

UNITED sures PATENTYOFFICE WILLIAM WESLEY m, or smramcrsco, earn-01mm ELECTRIC ans-momma rim-ran Application med June a, 1921. Serial 110. 200,885.

This invention relates to electric heating,

and particularly to a heater.

It is one of reflector type of room the objects of my invention to provide a sturdy, inexpensive heating un t for use in such a heater.

In the usual form of reflector heaters for rooms, the heat rays are concentrated along a restricted beam, with the result that the heater warms only a restricted portion of some other reflecting offlat metal but bent along a parabolic or curve. The cross section of such a reflector, taken along any plane normal to the axis of the reflector is a square. By placing a heater near the common focal point of the curved sides, the heat rays can ing unit. the heat rays can be more uniformly distributed. Thus it is another object of my invention to make it possible to improve the operation of such square type reflector heaters by proper design of the heating unit used therewith.

tages, and has other objects which may be made more easily apparent-from a consideration of one embodiment of my invention. For this purpose I have shown a form in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the present specification; I shall now proceed to describe this form in detail, which illustrates the general principles ofmy' invention; but it isto be understood thait'this detailed description is'not to be taken in a limiting sense, since the scope of my inventionis best defined by the appended claims.

.. Referring; to the drawings:

Figure 3 is a plan view of a heating unit utilized in connection in Figs. 1 and 2;

with the heater shown Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the unit; and

Figure 5 is a view of the. unit taken from the bottom of Fig. 4.

In Figs. 1 and 2 I illustrate a reflector .55 heater of the portable type, which incorpo-' rates my invention. A conventional form of base 11 is provided, upon which is supported the reflector structure 12. This is a doublewalled device for preventing material heat transmission from the rear; it also includes preferably a rolled front edge 13 to improve the appearance of the device.

The reflector structure comprises four substantially identical reflector sections 14, 15, 16 and 17. Each of these is formed from flat sheet metal such as copper or bronze polished to provide the desired reflecting.function, and

. curved as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2,

either as a parabola or other reflecting curve.

. The edges of contiguous sections meet along diagonal lines. Of course, the reflector could be made by stamping a single sheet if desired. In either case, it is evident that sec-'- tions taken along planes perpendicular to the ?5 axis of the reflector wouldbe polygonal; in this instance, square. 1

This form of reflector is well-known; and is described herein in a general manner only.

At or near the common focal point of the reso fleeting. surfaces, there is an element or unit 18. This element is shown in greater detail in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. It is to be noted particularly that the heating wire 19 (which is in the form of a helix) is wound on its support 20 of ceramic material or its quivalent, in" such manner that it has expose portions paralleling the sections 14, 15, 16 and 17 There- 'fore it preseiitsa large heated area to ,each of these sections and in the right direction to cause these sections to act most efficiently as reflectors. i p

The su port 20, in order to accomplish these res ts, is .of general square pyramidal form. It has a deep continuous groove 21 formed in its outside surfaceto accommodate the unit 19. In order to guide this unit e f-. fectively in the groove 21, the corners where they groove 21: turns from one side of the square to another is rounded, as indicated at 22. Furthermore, the support also has a series of slots 23 from the bottom of groove .21 for reducing the. volume of the ceramic material, and thereby to ensure against substantial heat absorption thereby.

The support 20 can furthermore be provided with a hollow extension 24, on the inside of which can be supported the connecting bars or prongs 25. These are fastened as by screws 26 to the extension 24, and are adapted to be inserted in cooperating sockets in the front of reflector 12. These bars are further connected as by leads 27 and-28 with the ends of coil 19, for completing the electrical connections.

It is to be noted that the smaller eiid of the pyramid is next the reflector apex. This permits the larger end to be positioned near the focus of the reflector; thus most of the unit 19 is concentrated at the focus, although a substantial ortion is arranged back of the focus to provi e a spreading effect to the rays.

I claim:

1. In an electrical heater, a reflector having an axis and of such form that sections perpendicular to the axis are polygonal figures,

and an electrical heating unit arranged on the axis and having current carrying parts-substantially paralleling the sides of said figures and forming ,a polygon at said sections similar to the said figures.

2. In an electrical heater, a reflector made.

up of four sides to form a square structure, each of said sides being curved to provide a focal reflecting point common to all sides, and a heating unit arranged adjacent said point, comprising a support of general square pyramidal form, the sides of the pyramid paralleling the sides of the reflector, and a helical heating element wound on the outside of the support.

3. In an electrical heater, a reflector made up of four sections, each curved to form a curve, all of the curves having a common axis, and the sections being so formed that cross sections along planes perpendicular to the axis are square, a pyramidal support adjacent the focal point of the reflector, the sides of the pyramid paralleling the sections the smaller end of the pyramid being supported adjacent the apex of the reflector, and a coiled heating element supported in a groove on the outside of the support and having parts paralleling the sections of the reflector.

' In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM WESLEY HICKS. 

